Steamworld Build

Steamworld Build pairs a 24-core Intel Core i9-14900K with a 12 GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, a combination that delivers a wide performance envelope across resolutions and settings in this city builder. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly capable at 1080p and 1440p, but which begins to show its limits when pushed to 4K with maximum quality options.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a Raptor Lake Refresh part built on Intel's 10 nm process, featuring 24 cores and 32 threads. Its base clock is 3.20 GHz with a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, and it carries 36 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 2 MB of L2 per core. These specifications place it in the top tier of desktop processors, with a 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs in the database. In synthetic workloads, the chip posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a single-core score of 2262.5, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 21697.

For a city builder like Steamworld Build, the CPU's role is significant because these games typically simulate large populations, complex resource chains, and dynamic economies. The i9-14900K's high core count and 6.00 GHz boost clock provide substantial headroom for such simulation logic. The benchmark results indicate that even at 1080p Low settings, where the GPU is least burdened and the CPU has the most influence on frame pacing, the combo achieves 311 FPS. This suggests that the processor is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions; the frame rate is high enough that other components or engine limits are likely the constraining factor. The 24 cores handle the game's background simulation threads effortlessly, while the strong single-thread performance from the 6.00 GHz boost ensures that primary game logic runs without stutter. In the context of this combo's results, the CPU provides a stable foundation that allows the GPU to be the primary variable in performance scaling.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. It features 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, along with 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) on a 192-bit bus. This configuration yields 12 GB of GDDR6X memory with a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The card supports PCIe 4.0 x16 and is rated for a 200 W TDP. In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4070 scores 26927 in Passmark G3D and 154858 in Geekbench OpenCL, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs.

In Steamworld Build, the GPU's 12 GB VRAM is a critical asset, as city builders often need to store large texture atlases and geometry for numerous buildings and units. The measured FPS data shows a clear correlation between the GPU's workload and performance. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 311 FPS, but as settings increase to Medium (238 FPS), High (178 FPS), and Ultra (120 FPS), the frame rate drops. This scaling is expected as the GPU takes on more shading work, higher resolution textures, and additional post-processing effects. The RTX 4070's 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and 12 GB capacity are sufficient to handle the game's demands at 1440p and even 4K, though the data shows that at 4K Ultra, the frame rate falls to 40 FPS. The boost clock of 2475 MHz helps maintain performance in scenes with heavy draw calls, but the GPU is ultimately the component that determines the ceiling at higher quality presets.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

Among the 3706 tested combinations in the benchmark database, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 achieves a rank of 818 in Steamworld Build. This places it in the top 22% of all tested combos, which is a strong showing for a system that is not using the absolute highest-end GPU available. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's exceptional multi-threaded performance and the GPU's solid mid-to-high-end capabilities.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which scores 79371 on average, a delta of -0.3% relative to the i9-14900K's 79097. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79574, also slightly ahead at -0.6%. This indicates that the i9-14900K is extremely competitive within its own generation, with negligible differences from its direct counterparts. On the GPU side, the RTX 4070's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4, which scores 37628 (a 0.1% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which scores 37507 (a 0.4% delta). These close margins suggest that the RTX 4070 is positioned in a dense performance band where small architectural differences matter.

The combo rank of 818 out of 3706 implies that there are many systems with faster GPUs (such as higher-tier 40-series cards) that would rank higher in a GPU-bound scenario. However, the data shows that this combo still delivers playable frame rates at 4K High (60 FPS), which is notable for a card that is not the flagship of its generation. The rank reflects the i9-14900K's ability to feed the RTX 4070 adequately, ensuring that the GPU is not starved for data even at high resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a detailed picture of how this combo performs across three resolutions and four quality settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 311 FPS on Low, 238 FPS on Medium, 178 FPS on High, and 120 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 202 and a maximum of 274, indicating some variance but generally smooth performance. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset exceeds the refresh rate of most high-end monitors, making this resolution a non-issue for the combo.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain impressive but begin to reflect the GPU's increased workload. Low settings yield 198 FPS, Medium drops to 151 FPS (with a min of 129 and max of 174), High produces 113 FPS, and Ultra falls to 76 FPS. The 1440p High preset at 113 FPS is ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming, while Ultra at 76 FPS is still smooth for most users. The data shows that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo, offering a balance between visual fidelity and performance.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low settings deliver 104 FPS, Medium drops to 80 FPS (with a min of 68 and max of 92), High produces 60 FPS, and Ultra falls to 40 FPS. The 4K High preset at exactly 60 FPS is playable, but the Ultra preset at 40 FPS may be too choppy for some players. The lack of min FPS data for Low, High, and Ultra at 4K suggests that these runs were either consistent or that the data collection focused on averages. The Medium preset's min of 68 FPS shows that even at 4K, the combo can avoid severe frame drops in most scenarios.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the nature of the bottleneck in this combo. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 178 at 1080p to 113 at 1440p, a 36.5% reduction, and then to 60 at 4K, a 46.9% reduction from 1440p. This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound workload, where increasing pixel count directly impacts the render output unit and shading unit utilization. The RTX 4070's 64 ROPs and 5888 shading units are being pushed harder as resolution increases, leading to the observed frame rate decline.

At Low settings, the drop is more dramatic: 311 FPS at 1080p falls to 198 FPS at 1440p (a 36.3% drop) and then to 104 FPS at 4K (a 47.5% drop from 1440p). This suggests that even at Low settings, where the GPU is doing less work per pixel, the resolution scaling still heavily taxes the GPU. The fact that the CPU is not the limiting factor is evident from the 1080p Low result of 311 FPS; if the CPU were constrained, we would see a plateau at lower resolutions. Instead, the frame rate continues to scale with resolution, indicating that the GPU is the primary driver of performance differences.

The data also shows that settings have a larger impact than resolution in some cases. For example, moving from 4K Low (104 FPS) to 4K High (60 FPS) is a 42.3% drop, while moving from 1080p Low (311 FPS) to 1080p High (178 FPS) is a 42.8% drop. This parity suggests that the GPU's workload scales similarly with both resolution and settings, meaning that users who want higher frame rates at 4K should first reduce settings before dropping resolution. The Ultra preset at 4K (40 FPS) is the most demanding scenario, and the data indicates that this combo is best reserved for 1440p Ultra or 4K High if a 60 FPS target is desired.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system in Steamworld Build?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 at High settings delivers 113 FPS, which is an excellent balance of visual quality and performance. For those prioritizing smoothness, 1920x1080 at Ultra achieves 120 FPS, while 3840x2160 at High is exactly 60 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Steamworld Build?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K High, the average FPS is 60, which is playable. However, at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 40 FPS, which may be less desirable for action-heavy moments. The Medium preset at 4K yields 80 FPS, providing a smoother experience if needed.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game's performance?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU delivers 311 FPS at 1080p Low, showing it is not a bottleneck. As resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows, and the frame rate drops accordingly, confirming that the RTX 4070 is the primary determinant of performance.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other systems tested?

A: This combo ranks 818 out of 3706 tested combinations, placing it in the top 22%. This is a strong result, reflecting the CPU's top-tier status and the GPU's solid mid-to-high-end positioning.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, Low delivers 311 FPS and Ultra delivers 120 FPS, a 61.4% difference. At 1440p, Low delivers 198 FPS and Ultra delivers 76 FPS, a 61.6% difference. At 4K, Low delivers 104 FPS and Ultra delivers 40 FPS, a 61.5% difference. The consistent percentage drop suggests the settings scaling is uniform across resolutions.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM on the RTX 4070 cause any issues in this game?

A: The data does not show any VRAM-related stutters or crashes. The 12 GB capacity appears sufficient for Steamworld Build at all tested settings, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates and the fact that even at 4K Ultra, the game runs at 40 FPS without reported min FPS drops below that average.